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Special teams' focus is on Jackson

When the Redskins play host to the Eagles on Monday night, everyone on the Redskins' punt coverage unit will be focused on No. 10 of the Eagles. Many coaches and players consider Jackson to be the most dynamic punt returner in the NFL, and Alexander defintiely is among that group.

"Well, a guy like that has unique speed. Not just speed but unique speed," Alexxander said. "There aren't too many guys in the league who can run like that guy. On film, you watch him, you try to pin him in corners. But we saw this guy take the ball from one sideline to the other sideline and beat everybody across the field and get a 30-yard return. In this league, with all the speed we do have, that's rare. For somebody to do that, you know how fast he is. He's phenomenal."

Jackson is second in the league with a 15.8-yard average on 10 returns, including one for an 85-yard touchdown. The second-year player also has 19 receptions for 354 yards (an 18.6-yard average) and two touchdowns.

"The best thing for us is to have great hang time from Hunter, and be able to force some fair catches from this guy to kind of eliminate the return game all together," Alexander said. "Our defense is playing so well right now that I don't think a [big punt return] would hurt as much as it could hurt, but you still don't want it to happen."

The Redskins have to maintain a team approach on punt coverage against Jackson, Alexander said.

"You don't want anyone to go try and hit this guy and by doing that you get out of your lane," he said. "You've got to be real disciplined when you play guys like this and have great punch. If he gets you to moving and your out of your lane, he's going to hit that seam, get back out and he's gone. It's more of a team effort, staying in your lane and covering down on him."

Sounds like something that should be preached to Campbell and our younger guys. Not sure how he would have panned out but it is ridiculous we didn't get the chance to see it because of d!ckface Vinny and the midget.

Theismann: Zorn wasn't ready
Posted by Michael David Smith on October 25, 2009 9:45 AM ET
Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann appeared on NFL Network's NFL GameDay Morning today to analyze what's wrong with the franchise he played for from 1974 to 1985, and he said the main problem is that head coach Jim Zorn simply wasn't prepared for his job.

"If I do want to look at one area, I have to say it was giving Jim Zorn -- an inexperienced playcaller, an inexperienced head coach -- putting him in charge of a football team, an operation that he may not have been ready to take on," Theismann said of the Redskins' problems.

Theismann described the team as "talented," but he said Zorn is overthinking his offense, to the extent that he's sometimes taking the most talented players off the field solely for the purpose of trying out different personnel packages.

"They need to stop this shuffling system of trying to get everybody on the field," Theismann said. "It's package after package after package. If you look at this Redskin offense you think you wandered down Christmas morning and you looked under a Christmas tree because there's umpteen packages. You need to stick with your guys on the football field. ... Why do you take Santana [Moss] off the field?"

The Redskins brass says Zorn will stay for the rest of the season, but we may see fewer offensive personnel packages over the rest of the season, because Zorn has been stripped of playcalling duties. Which is a not-so-subtle acknowledgment that Theismann is right about Zorn not being ready.

who didn't think Zorn was in over his head? He had never been an OC much less HC. To hire someone like that and not allow them the years it takes to grow into the position is another example of the desperate and rather naive approach of DS and VC. Again, I ask, Which HC would want to come here with these two idiots in charge? My answer is the same sort that would come first for the MONEY. So many FA's have and look what that buys, a group of over paid underachieving millionaires that couldn't care less.

Just a fan who's sick of all the pile on and want to see if Sherm Lewis can help us beat the Eagles.

Posted by: rickyroge | October 25, 2009 11:31 AM | Report abuse

I'm a big fan to. I'm surprised that Sherm Lewis agreed to this arrangement. He could really damage his reputation. There's no way you can make a big impact after being out of the NFL for so long. He has only been here for a couple of weeks and doesn't even know the roster. I wish they had brought in Sherman Lewis during the off season. This is really a recipe for a horrendous train wreck disaster!

I think that was part of the problem right there. Story was, Williams wanted to pick his own OC. And his own QB. With 20-20 hindsight...

It has come to light that Snyder admitted that he couldn't get a long with the guy? Why? I speculate that he probably wasn't going to listen to a great deal many of the owner's ideas ... haven't already had to clean up the mess he made during the Spurrier years and before.

Compare Grilliams personality with Zorn's. Clearly Gibbs was the good "manager" type that acted as a buffer between "the owner" his players and hard driving coaches like grilliams.

The few weeks that Toddball ran it were the only few weeks the Redskins offense has been fun and exciting to watch since Trent Green ran Turners offense after that idiot Frerotte went down.

Possibly, but remember Campbell only had what amounts to a year under Saunders, after 2 years with Gibbs/Breux, whereas the rookie in Baltimore started with him ... and it looks like he may be there to stay. Given Campbell's confidence issues since he's been in the pros your point still may be valid.

So, two asst. head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators extraordinaire leave the Redskins and go to other teams and in the 2nd year are going gang busters. Meanwhile, in the 2nd year after their departure the Redskins not just in a tail-spin but a veritable death spiral.

But no credit will ever be given Joe Gibbs for the job he did in bringing them in and keeping Danny away from ... well doing the peach-keen job he has been doing as the owner completely in-charge, as opposed to the owner/GM who would defer to President/HC Joe from time-to-time. There is a MARKED difference if you think about it ...